Japan refuses to halt Iranian oil imports

Japan’s foreign minister said Monday that his country would not stop imports of Iranian oil, striking a rare note of divergence with the United States during a visit to Washington.

After talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that focused mostly on North Korea, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba highlighted Japan’s sanctions imposed on Iranian institutions due to concerns over its nuclear program.

But Gemba said: "I conveyed my view that there is a danger of causing damage to the entire global economy if the imports of Iranian crude oil stop."